The 6 Best Spearguns of 2023
Across the ages, Fishing has been a passion for some and a profession for many. The technique of fishing has evolved across times depending on the creativity of humans and the availability of tools in a different era. Spearfishing is one of the ancient methods of fishing that involves shooting or stalking the fish underwater with the help of a speargun.
This equipment also knows as the Scuba Gun attacks its target by shooting a spear quickly through the water. There are two main types of spearguns namely the band powered one and a pneumatic one. Band-powered spearguns have an upper hand compared with their counterparts as they are accurate in attacking the target and silent during the attack.
Pneumatic spearguns found extensive use in the 1960s and 70s as reliable and compact aims. But its power is related to the amount of air pumped into it and makes a lot of noise while using it. For those who are in search of the best spearguns, the following guide would help in finding the most reliable one and also their specifications for a fulfilling fishing endeavor.
Best Spearguns
Quick Answer: The 6 Best Spearguns – [2023]
- AB Biller Spear Gun Padauk
- JBL American Made African Mahogany Spear Gun
- ROB Allen Aluminum Tuna Railgun Speargun
- Cressi Apache Speargun with Stainless Steel Shaft and Sling
- Mares Bandit Sling Band Speargun
- Hammerhead Spearguns Proteus
Best Spearguns Reviews
#1. AB Biller Spear Gun Padauk
- Weight: 4.2 pounds
- Stainless spring steel Tip
- Swivel and safety cap
- Rubber slings
- One-handed operation
- Patented safety and trigger mechanisms
The shaft of the speargun is made of stainless spring steel that is been hardened to Rockwell 44C standards. It also has an open Muzzle system for easy top loading and its grooved mahogany provides for extreme accuracy even under water. Its neutral buoyancy absorbs at least 80% of the firing noise created by the metal gun and makes the fishing action highly beneficial.
The speargun allows for one-handed shooting operation, both right and left with a silent lock and unlock mechanism. The stainless-steel shaft has a diameter of 5/16 inches and is made of a special alloy developed by the United States Navy Department. The shafts are also heat treated and are a perfect combination of spring tension and hardness for perfect fishing endeavors.
#2. JBL American Made African Mahogany Spear Gun
- Dimensions: 46 x 6 x 6 inches
- Weight: 5 pounds
- M8 trigger mechanism
- Laser cut trigger
- 45-degree polymer handle
- Shaft heat treated for hardness
- Dual Nitro slings
The three-piece M8 trigger mechanism of the tool sets it apart from its competitors and its trigger is made of laser cut stainless steel for prompt and smooth operation in confronting a prey. The shaft of the speargun is made up of corrosion resistant hardened stainless-steel spring and has the dimension of 39” and 5/16”.
The shaft has been hand-tuned with the handle for perfect alignment for an exact aim. They have been heat-treated to render maximum hardness and to render the best energy transfer by decreasing flex.
The lings of the gun are made of latex and it features a dual nitro sling of dimension 9/16” and 20”. The spectra cord wishbones and the rotating rock point of the slings makes the overall fishing experience a fruitful one.
#3. ROB Allen Aluminum Tuna Railgun Speargun
- Weight: 10 pounds
- Built: Aluminum
- Shaft thickness: 1.45 mm
- Double trigger mechanism
- Spring steel shaft
- Double times power bands of 16 mm
The aim of the gun is extremely accurate, and it features a double trigger mechanism to target the prey. The rail barrel mechanism is made from nylon reinforced with glass and features a solid 316 stainless steel sear. The length of these Spearguns are anywhere between 0.7 meters and 1.4 meters and features 7mm spring steel shaft with a shaft thickness of 1.45mm.
The Railgun is featured with either a Rob Allen open or closed muzzle system which is way smaller than conventional muzzles and this also provides for great maneuverability and less drag.
#4. Cressi Apache Speargun with Stainless Steel Shaft and Sling
- Weight: 1.9 pounds
- Small and compact speargun
- Ideal for beginners
- Heavy duty aluminum barrel
- Accurate and easy to load
- Advanced flopper shaft for a superior kill
- Replaceable wishbone and band.
The sealed barred is been anodized to render corrosive resistant properties and its ergonomically designed handle permits easy handling and accurate muzzle pointing. The Tahitian style flopper shaft paves room for shift and superior penetration of 6.5 mm in diameter.
The handles are designed in a prompt angle with the shaft to enhance the precision of the shoot. The power band is been fitted with a stainless wishbone. The wishbone assembly is easy to be performed by the user and its band could also be replaced making it very much user-friendly.
#5. Mares Bandit Sling Band Speargun
- Weight: 3.5 pounds
- Ideal for beginners and intermediate fishers
- Tri-cut 7mm spring steel shaft
- Australasian Rigging
- Patented firing and trigger lock mechanism
- Barrels made of anodized Aluminum
The gun also features a tri-cut finned spear shaft tip of 7mm thickness. Its shark clip with swivel helps in easy float line attachment and its rubber line bungee helps to decrease spear recoil. It also features a close muzzle with powerup option to extend the loading plate.
It’s ergonomically designed over molded handle offers both left and right-hand use. Its guided rails at the levels of 43.3” and 47.25” paves for excellent accuracy in fishing and the barrels of the Gun is made of corrosion resistant anodized Aluminum.
The Bandit Speargun is equipped with a trigger lock mechanism and is its patented firing mechanism that offers excellent reliability for years. The spear gun comes with an S power circular sling of 16 mm size and there is a capacity to add an additional sling as well for added power.
#6. Hammerhead Spearguns Proteus
- Weight: 3 pounds
- Ideal for spearing around holes and rocks
- Trigger safety lock
- Metal coil band to protect fingers
- Ideal for beginners and young divers
Its inherent features are a completely railed barrel, enclosed muzzle and coil bands made of metal. These features make it a spear of choice for young and novice spear fishers. Its side safety lock avoids accidental release of the trigger. Its wishbones are made of metal coil and do not make any noise while spearing.
It is much safer for human use and does not break. There is a clip at the bottom of the handle of the speargun for clipping the gun to a float so as to use as a secondary gun when encountered with a large fish. It is highly accurate and simple to use for a great fishing adventure.
Points to Consider before choosing a Speargun
Having discussed the uses of Spear guns and the specification and functionalities of some of the best Spearguns in the market, we would now discuss some points of consideration while choosing the best-fit Speargun.
- Type of the Speargun
- Length of the Gun
- The Shaft of the Speargun
- Price of the Speargun
- Durability
- Wood Finish of the Gun
- Versatility
- How to Hunt a fish with a Speargun?
- Getting Ready for Spearfishing
- Finding the Fish
- Verdict
Type of The Speargun:
Before investing in a speargun, we have to determine the type of the gun depending on the attributes of the user. For Beginners who would indulge in reef fishing and in shallow water diving, short range guns with less power are enough to serve the purpose. And for those wanting to hunt much larger fish available deep in the ocean, where the visibility is also poor, a bigger speargun with a good range of reach is desired.
Also, a powerful gun would kill the prey pretty quickly decreasing its suffering levels but demand great skill and experience in handling it. They require skilled hands to lead and handle and wield them safely as they are faster and heavier, apart from being accurate and durable.
Length of The Gun:
The length of the Speargun plays an important role in the success of the hunt as it decides the limit in the size of the fish to be the hunter. Shorter guns would be easier and comfortable to use for beginners and are also ideal for shallow water fishing. Whereas Speargun with longer shafts and extra power are desired for deep water fishing and for those hunters who want to catch larger fishers
The Shaft of The Speargun:
The type of shaft of the gun also decides the style of spearfishing and the size of the target fish. Larger shafts could hold larger spear to kill large fish. There are typically three types of these speargun shafts:
- Breakaway shafts could hold spear of huge weight and could be targeted on large fishes such as sharks.
- Single flopper shafts are the fastest one available to hunt reef fish. It is also known as the Tahitian shafts and features a single easy to remove barb.
- The double Flopper shaft features two barbs on either side of the shaft so as to target larger fishes.
Price of The Speargun:
The cost is one of the important factors to consider before making a purchase decision, especially with spearguns that are generally costly. Some of the good quality, short-range entry level spearguns for beginners are prices somewhere between $100 and $500. But for advanced spear fishers, a powerful speargun is desired to make the underwater hunting trips successful and these high-end devices could go abouve$500 depending on their specs.
Durability:
Choose Speargun that is of high tensile strength and durability and those that have exceptional craftsmanship. Choose those whose body is made up of solid wood such as teak or Padauk and not plastic and other combination materials. Also, choose models that are easy to maintain and could be easily repaired.
Wood Finish of The Gun:
As most of the spearguns are made up of mahogany wood, they pose a pleasant appearance in deep brown. If a lighter wood grain look is desired, then they can choose guns made of teakwood. Guns made of padauk wood pose a deep cherry color with visible interlocking patterns of wood particles.
Guns made of mahogany wood are accented by three layers of polyurethane so that they pose a great shine and a classy finish. The guns made of padauk and teak are hand rubbed using linseed oil so as to portray their unique wooden texture and their classic color.
Versatility:
The versatility of the speargun depends on its efficiency to catch larger fish at any ocean situation. Smaller fishes are of a long range of 10 inches whereas larger fishes are 18” and beyond. Spearguns should be able to catch the prey easily and should have no complaints as far as performance is concerned.
How to Hunt a fish with a Speargun?
Spearfishing is considered to be the most difficult form of fishing and is not generally as easy as it sounds. This technique has been the treasure of those people living near oceanic zones of the world. The exact technique of spearfishing is not much discussed and is not open to people living in the tropics. There are a number of small intricacies that need to be mastered before heading for spearfishing and those are discussed below,
Getting Ready for Spearfishing
- Find a place where smaller fishes would hide so as to practice in shallow water to begin with
- Practicing shots with the spears are desired before trying it on the real prey.
- Loading the gun, aiming at the prey, firing at them all requires dedicated practice, and of course to find out the missing spears.
- Fishes are highly active species and dart a lot under water. Therefore, while aiming at them the hunter has to aim at the front portion of its body so; when the spear arrives it would hit somewhere, at least at its tail.
- A great amount of patience is required to master the technique of spear hunting but once mastered it would offer tremendous thrill in every hunt.
- Practicing spear hunting also means practicing to hold one’s breath under water until the prey is caught.
- Before heading for spearfishing, the local regulations for fishing have to be checked from the Fishing bureau and adhered to.
- Hunters are generally forbidden from fishing some species of fish such as whales and sharks whereas salmons are in plenty to try the luck.
- Along with speargun some additional accessories are desired as well such as swim fins, masks, swimsuit, and even a snorkel.
- Some fish game zones would offer all these accessories for rent at a nominal cost.
Finding The Fish:
- Finding the fish is the most important part of spearfishing, to start with fish hiding under the rocks could be targeted.
- It has to keep in mind that even the slowest of all fishes are faster than human spears and they would move very fast away from the aim.
- Fishes are able to see things from a very long distance and thus the hunter has to be shift in aiming and hunting.
- The best way to catch them is to hide behind rocks and seaweeds and sneak up on the prey. This is a proven method of hunting by spending very less energy.
- Spearing should be performed behind the gills as it would be a solid hit and they can’t wiggle out.
Verdict
Not much is spoken about spearfishing on the internet, but this seems to be an interesting game field for those indulging in underwater sports. We have discussed what spearfishing and spearguns are and the tips to use them for a fulfilling hobby. The list of the best spearguns in the market and the points of consideration before taking a buying decision would help in choosing the best one for all fishing endeavors.
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